Sickness
by SwanQueen101
Summary: Prompt from butterflykisses0: Emma throws up in front of Regina, and Regina has no choice but to take care of her. SwanQueen sails ahead! Oneshot! T for language


**A/N: HEY! So I said that I was gonna write more and then life happened and senior year was FUCKING ****RIDICULOUS. Anyway! I got a prompt a little while ago and just responded to it, and this is what happened! Thank you so much to butterflykisses0 for the prompt! I really needed to start writing again, and this helped a lot. I hope you like it! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Once!**

She wakes up in the morning with the early symptoms. She has a headache that feels like it's splitting her head in two, but she doesn't think much of it. She slowly throws her legs over the side of the bed before gradually sitting up, thankful that Regina has Henry for the week, cause she's sure that she can't handle having this headache and a kid that just loves to question everything right now.

Emma squints her eyes against the blinding light coming from her closed shutters. She scowls at the offending blinds before attempting to stand. Unsteadily, she shuffles to the bathroom that's connected to her bedroom. She chalks the chills that run up her spine to simply be from getting out from under her nice, warm blankets. At that thought, she rubs her arms, wondering why she even bothered to get out from under the covers in the first place.

Her body aches in the worst way, and she really notices that she doesn't feel well. But, well, she's the Savior, and the Savior's supposed to be able to push through everything.

She can't help but roll her eyes at that thought.

She chuckles darkly, but is quickly cut off by the cough that has been harassing her for the past few days. This though, is much worse. She grabs ahold of the sink as she doubles over, pain wracking her whole body as she heaves from the amount of force behind her cough. The coughs seem to never end, always coming after every stalled breath. Finally, with her ragged breathing almost completely under control, she manages to bring her attention to her reflection.

Her face screws up at what she sees. Normally, she's fairly confident in herself; she's toned, has beautiful hair, and a very nice complexion. But now, when she looks in the mirror, all she sees is limp, lifeless hair, baggy eyes, and pale, dead skin. She reels back in surprise at how… completely unattractive she looks. By this point, she knows her cough is much worse than what she's been thinking it is; this isn't just allergies assaulting her at an unfortunate time.

She shrugs it off, though, because she knows everyone's expecting her to be at the town meeting that they're holding; she is the "Savior" after all. Her scowl deepens at that. The only good thing that will happen at that meeting is that she'll get to see Regina.

At that thought, a small smile appears. When she sees it in the mirror, she works hard to wipe it off. She knows that what she feels for Regina isn't merely platonic, but she also knows that the chance that Regina feels that way about her is slim to none. Not to say that they don't have some flirty fun, but, to Regina, she knows that it's just playfulness. Or, that's what she knows she has to convince herself of if she ever wants to make it through the day without admitting her crush on the beautiful brunette.

With these thoughts all rushing through her head, she slowly begins to undress before getting into the shower. The shower normally helps her lose her headache and body pains, but this shower makes her feel like the shower head is spitting bullets at her. She groans under the unwanted pressure, which, of course, turns into another breathtaking coughing fit.

Three minutes later, she straightens from her bended over position, her breathing once again under control, and tries to get the shampoo that she got into her eyes while having her coughing attack, out.

_Damn it all,_ she thinks to herself. _This is definitely not my day._

Once she manages to get the burning sensation out of her corneas, she steps out of the shower, foregoing the conditioner that she always lathers into her hair. She stumbles out of the bathroom and over to the dresser that, _of course_, is on the other side of the room.

She dresses in her usual jeans, boots, and a nicer shirt- _damned meeting_, she thinks while struggling to shove the shirt over her head- before staggering back into the bathroom to fix her hair, though she really just wants to leave it the way that it is, and puts a little bit of makeup under her eyes. She doesn't even notice when her mind asks, _Huh, I wonder what Regina will think?_

Once she's done with that, she leaves her bedroom, her pajamas sprawled all over the place, and her bathroom a complete mess of wet towels on the floor and makeup dust all over her sink. She just can't bring herself to care today; little demons in her head keep throwing pitchforks at her skull.

She makes sure that she doesn't turn on any of the lights; she knows her poor brain can't handle the pressure of adjusting her eyes to the light. So, instead, she goes to the kitchen and makes some toast. Her stomach is repulsed by the thought of eating, but she knows she has to eat something, or she'll pass out from hunger. Emma refuses to not eat in the mornings when she has food available. It goes against everything in her nature, no matter how much she feels sick thinking about it.

Soon the toast is being buttered, and she's taking tiny bites of it as she searches for aspirin, Ibuprofen, or really, anything will work at this point because she's just so fucking tired, and she's not sure she can make it through the day anymore. Anything to numb her up so she can be the town's precious Savior. The thought twist her stomach in a way that she wishes it hadn't.

God she really doesn't want to go to this damned meeting.

But she does. She downs the pills that she finds, grabs her sunglasses, locks the door, and marches out of her apartment. She tries not to breath too much, as she really doesn't want to have another coughing fit, especially when she's out in the open.

Much to her surprise, though, nobody's really out. Walking down the street, she doesn't see anyone. Of course, it's a dreary day, which also surprises her because it just seems _so bright,_ so not many people are usually out.

But, of course, the one person that's outside is Regina, and all of a sudden it doesn't matter that she's sick. She takes a breath to call out to the brunette, but, yet again, she's assaulted by the outrageous hacking that comes out of her mouth instead of "Oh, hey, Regina! How are you?"

She should have brought some cough drops with her. This meeting is going to be hell.

At the sound of the bark coming from across the street, Regina turns around, a bewildered expression on her face.

"Emma, is that you?" She squints her carmel eyes, judging from afar if she really wants to talk to whoever's doubled over or not. "Are you alright?" At the thumbs up she gets from the breathless blonde, she crosses the street, obviously not convinced. Once she's in front of the green-eyed beauty, she feels her breath catch in concern. Brown locks with green through sunglasses, and immediately Regina knows Emma's sick. Emma watches the concern flood Regina's eyes and takes a step back, waving her arms a bit.

"I wouldn't get too close, Regina. I might be contagious, and I don't want you to get sick." Regina smirks slightly at that, eyes flashing in challenge.

"I hardly ever get sick. So sweet of you to care, though." She mocks playfully. Emma rolls her eyes good-naturedly.

"I would say it's for Henry, but I think we out used that excuse after we got back from Neverland." She retorts easily, a sickly groan bubbling out of her mouth before she bends at the waist, the stomach pains having become too much for her.

Regina watches the recognition flash across the blonde's face before she even realizes what's happening. Emma quickly throws a hand over her mouth before spinning around and promptly dumping the little amount of toast that she had from her stomach. Emma feels the dizziness getting to her as the ground slowly becomes much closer than she remembers it being. Sharp pains shoot up her legs as her knees connect with concrete. She grits her teeth against the pain, but can't quite quell the whine that forces it's way through her lips.

She feels a light grip on her loose hair, soothing fingers raking through her terraces. She blinks slowly before she retches again, tears coming to her eyes. She's just so tired. She doesn't want to play Savior, she doesn't want to go to this meeting, and she definitely doesn't want to do anything other than just laying in bed.

In the mist of her exhaustion, vomiting, and thinking about everything she's supposed to do, the tears fall. Silently, they trace tracks down her face, the makeup easily fading away. She throws up again. She catches her breath; a sob lets loose. Her shoulders shake violently, and she feels one of the hands in her hair move to her back, rubbing smooth circles there. Sobs erupt from her mouth unbidden, which only serves to frustrate her more. She never wanted Regina to see her like this.

Not that Regina cares. The brunette's more concerned with the fact that Emma is hurt, sick, and emotionally definitely not ready for this meeting. She removes the hand from Emma's back so she can grab her phone. She sends a quick text to Snow saying that she won't be at the meeting, nor will Emma. She explains that she wasn't feeling well, and Emma happened to catch her and wanted to take her home.

Regina knows that Emma wouldn't be able to handle Snow going all "mommy" on her. It'd be irritating to Emma, especially when she's aware of the awkward predicament between the two women. Emma, while over the fact that her roommate is her mother, still isn't quite used to having an actual mother that _cares _whether she's sick or not. Which, if Regina's quite honest, is true about anyone… not just a motherly figure, but as… friends.

Slowly, Regina places her phone back into her pocket and puts her hand back on Emma's back, continuing the soft circles. She shoves the thoughts of how beautiful the blonde is, even throwing up on the sidewalk, away swiftly. Those thoughts shouldn't penetrate a moment like this. Emma's sick, and she needs Regina.

"Emma?" Regina questions softly. "Would you like to go back to the mansion? I don't know where all of your medicine is, so it'd be easier to go back to my home. Is that alright?" Emma, through her sniffling, only nods her head. She regrets it when the world beings spinning again. Damn it all.

"Alright, up we go." Regina mutters under her breath as she puts one of Emma's arms over her shoulders and wraps an arm around the blonde's waist.

They desperately wish to ignore the butterflies rushing around their stomachs.

Regina helps Emma stand slowly, and they both pivot and begin walking back toward Regina's. Emma, barely conscious, feels her sunglasses slipping off her face. She raises a hand to push them back on the bridge of her nose, subtly trying to wipe whatever vomit she still has on her face off. She weakly walks next to the brunette, leaning heavily on her. Regina doesn't complain at all, simply taking the weight and baring it.

Emma can't help but admire the woman holding her. She knows Regina doesn't do much heavy-lifting wise, so this must be dreadful for her. Her head lulls over to glance at the woman, her eyes shining with appreciation under the positioned sunglasses. She knows she's falling for the brunette, and she can't stop it. She knows that. She tries to ignore it, but now, in her sick state, she finally admits to herself that she'll never be able to stop.

"You," the blonde croaks, startling the brunette from her own thoughts, "are awesome." The words sound almost slurred, as if she's drunk. Regina knows that she's merely sick, but she can't help but want to snicker at the childish words that bubble out of her… the… the blonde. She shakes her head; she should know where those kind of thoughts will get her. But, she just can't seem to stop them. It's rather irritating.

"I'm just doing what anyone else would do, Emma." Emma blinks slowly, eyes still hidden.

"Take the compliment, Regina. You of all people deserve it." Her voice is so suddenly serious that it momentarily shocks Regina's senses.

"Thank you, then." She says quietly. She looks over at Emma, a soft smile where a sneer would usually be. Emma smiles back, though Regina turns her head away quickly. "Gods, Emma, you've got to brush your teeth when we get home." Regina jerks her head slightly at her slip-up. "Home for me. My home." She blushes slightly, but Emma doesn't seem to notice.

"I just need to get out of this damn sun." Regina glances up, eyebrows furrowed before she looks back to Emma, brow quirked and retort on the tip of her tongue. One look at the sickly blonde, though, and she can't seem to dig up her sarcasm.

"Alright, we're almost there." She's a little breathless from having to practically carry Emma all this way. Little more talk is heard besides the sudden cough attacks that pour from Emma's mouth, but soon, the mansion is in sight. Regina takes her keys out of her pocket before they reach the door, and grabs the right key to open the front door with.

"Henry's at a friends house, so we'll be alone." Emma smirks up at her flirtatiously, causing a fierce blush to race up Regina's checks, though she turns away so the blonde won't see. "A perfect time to take care of you." _Damn it, _Regina thinks, _that sounded so much more suggestive than I wanted it to._

"Of course, Your Majesty." Emma husks playfully. Of course, though, the supposedly seductive husk quickly turns into a coughing fit that wracks Emma's whole body.

She tries to fight it off, but it quickly steals her breath, causing her to double over in pain, clutching at her chest. Regina rushes up to the door, unlocks it swiftly, and hurries back to the choking blonde. She helps the woman inside her house briskly and lies her down on the nearest sofa. The living room just so happened to be closest to the kitchen as well as the front door, so the brunette rapidly goes over to the cabinets and grabs a thermometer, cold medicine, and pillows and a blanket. She clacks back over to Emma, holding out the thermometer first. She sets down the medicine's that she found in her cabinets down on the coffee table before taking the pillow and propping it behind the blonde's head and laying the blanket over her.

Thankfully, Emma burrows into the blanket, sweat beginning to line her forehead as the coughing spell dies down. Tiredly, she runs her hand over her eyes, taking her sunglasses off. She thanks Regina for not having turned the lights on when they walked in.

"I'm really tired." She whispers, her throat having gone out, and her exhaustion having taken over. Regina nods in acknowledgement.

"I need to take your temperature and give you medicine before you can go to bed, okay?" Emma's head nods barely, her eyes fluttering closed.

Regina takes the blonde's temperature and finds it abnormally high. She shakes her head at the 103 degrees that lights up the device. She looks concernedly at the woman laying below her, knowing this sickness is much more than she thought it was. She looks at the bottles of medicine that she has and scolds herself for forgetting the tablespoon.

"I'll be right back, Emma." She whispers before going to grab the correct spoon. She rummages through the silverware drawer, nodding when she's found the right utensil. She shuffles back to Emma in the dark, pours the right dose into the blonde's mouth for each medicine before letting the very sick woman sleep peacefully.

She didn't leave her side once except to get water, make light food for when the blonde woke up, and go to the bathroom.

She forgot to text Snow back when she got the "I hope you feel better!" text from the short-haired woman; she realized that Emma was awake as soon as she read the message and put it down to get the blonde whatever it was she needed.

Emma, for her part, hated being sick. She could definitely get used to Regina looking after her, though. She finds her self wondering what it would be like to look after Regina as well. She knows she'd love it. She can't bare to push that thought away, either.

Emma's sick for a consecutive week and a half. Snow finds out that it was actually Emma that was sick the whole time, not Regina. She doesn't find it in herself to feel angry, especially when Regina's the one taking care of her daughter. Please, she's not that oblivious to everything going on around her. David, on the other hand, has to have it explained to him when Regina comes to him two weeks after Emma first got sick asking if she can have permission to take his daughter on a date. Snow has to chuckle at his naivety.

All in all, Emma can't help but think back on that sickness with wonderful thoughts. It kickstarted everything. All they needed was a little push.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you leave a review to tell me what to do better, what you liked about it, or just to send me another prompt! I hope everyone liked it. I'm open for prompts if anyone wants to throw one out there. I'm outta school now, so everything should be good, but you know how that can be sometimes. Anyway, thanks! :)**

**~SwanQueen101**


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